Celtic bounced back from league title heartbreak to claim the Women’s Scottish Cup for the second straight year after a comfortable victory over rivals Rangers at Hampden. In the first women’s showpiece to be played at Scotland’s national stadium, a nervous and cagey first half passed almost without incident before two goals in two minutes won Celtic the game. Both came from set-pieces, with Natasha Flint turning the ball home from a corner two minutes before Claire O’Riordan’s looping header found the net. That stunned Rangers, who had Laura Berry’s goal five minutes from time ruled out for offside by VAR, and means Celtic end the season with a trophy having missed out on the Scottish Women’s Premier League title a week ago in dramatic fashion.
On that occasion Glasgow City’s stoppage-time strike against Rangers snatched the title from Celtic’s grasp and left manager Fran Alonso in tears. But this time the Spaniard was punching the air for joy. Even in a tepid first-half it was his side who crafted the best chance when Shen Menglu robbed Hannah Davison and charged into the box, but the forward put the ball well wide. As did Jacynta after the break from a similar position but in the end it was Celtic’s famous nous from set-pieces which won them the match. First, a corner was put on top of Rangers goalkeeper Victoria Esson, who could only punch it as far as Chloe Craig. The Celtic defender helped the ball goalward and Flint did the rest from inside the six-yard box. Two minutes later, O’Riordan met another corner at the near post and floated the ball into the far corner.
Rangers did rouse themselves in the closing stages after a sluggish display, and Berry thought she had set up a grandstand finish after finishing neatly in the box. But VAR, in use for the first time in a women’s game in Scotland, had a look and ruled the 15-year-old was marginally offside. That was Rangers’ last roll of the dice, as they were unable to give manager Malky Thomson the perfect send off, though they did win the SWPL Cup earlier in the season. Player of the match – Claire O’Riordan.
Celtic took a deserved victory on a landmark afternoon for the women’s game in Scotland. Despite a drab opening 45 minutes, Alonso’s side were the ones who looked more comfortable on the ball and the likelier to create chances. They finally made their dominance pay in typical style, with two excellent Jacynta corners setting up the goals. Celtic finish the campaign with one fewer trophy than they did last term, having won both cups last season. But they took the title to the final day and finished second to qualify for the Champions League. Those two competitions have to be the priority next season, and the investment must come to match those ambitions.
As for Rangers, this ended an ultimately disappointing campaign. They finished third in the league and will not play in the Champions League next season, having claimed the SWPL title last year. Since that landmark moment, they have not kicked on, and in their two biggest games of the season they looked lacklustre and devoid of creativity. With Thomson now returning to his role with the academy, it will be fascinating to see who comes in over the summer. With the club investing in its women’s side and the standard growing, they simply have to improve.